diff --git a/src/tcp_core.c b/src/tcp_core.c
index ee80548..2db4121 100755
--- a/src/tcp_core.c
+++ b/src/tcp_core.c
@@ -888,5 +888,18 @@ void ng_init_port(struct rte_mempool *mbuf_pool)
 
     rte_eth_promiscuous_enable(gDpdkPortId);
 
-    printf("[DPDK] Port %d initialized\n", gDpdkPortId);
+    /* Wait for link up — PHY auto-negotiation takes 1-3 seconds */
+    struct rte_eth_link link;
+    int link_retries = 10;
+    while (link_retries-- > 0) {
+        memset(&link, 0, sizeof(link));
+        rte_eth_link_get(gDpdkPortId, &link);
+        if (link.link_status) break;
+        rte_delay_ms(100);
+    }
+    if (link.link_status)
+        printf("[DPDK] Port %d initialized, link %u Mbps\n",
+               gDpdkPortId, link.link_speed);
+    else
+        printf("[DPDK] Port %d initialized, link DOWN (no carrier)\n", gDpdkPortId);
 }